Don't stop breathing
by Katie237
Summary: Slight AU for 3x02, what if The Rival stabbed Barry a little higher with the lightings on his mask and send him in respiratory distress by the time Team Flash arrive? One-shot, Cisco's POV, Barry/Cisco friendship.


**A/N:** **5 episodes in a row without Barry getting hurt? You had one job writers! Alright, let me fix this for all of us. Just a quick AU of a thought I had in my mind as I first watched episode 3x02** **.**

 **Basically, I just needed a reason to hurt Barry, sorry, but not sorry!**

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Cisco could hear his friend breathing hard as he took his Vibe's glasses off and slowly approached him.

''Sorry it took so long.'' He apologised.

''You're just…on…'' Barry couldn't finish his sentence, too busy catching his breath after that fight, making his friend frown with worry. Even after his race against Zoom he wasn't so out of breath and it seemed like it wasn't getting better anytime soon.

''Are you ok?''

''Just...need...catch...'' Barry rose his arm to his chest, his breaths becoming shorter and faster by the second, getting as far as possible from being fine. The speedster's knees started shaking and Barry's second hand went for his throat.

''Barry? Barry?!'' Vibe moved forward just in time, just before the speedster's knees failed him and stopped supporting the rest of the body.

In an instant, these knees hit the ground and almost sent Barry crashing face first in the dirt if it wasn't for Cisco catching and supporting his friend.

''Man, what's wrong?! ….CAITLIN! HELP!'' He screamed at the top of his lung toward the exit, forgetting that the rest of the team could follow the hero's vitals from their tablet in the van.

Cisco's hands were the only thing keeping Barry in his position and not completely collapsing on the ground, his struggle still growing. At this point, he hero was barely even breathing, his mouth uselessly open, unable to get anything in or out. It was at this moment that Caitlin and Joe decided to make their dramatic entrance, carrying the tablet, the big medical bag and the Boot gun.

''We saw his oxygen levels drop, lie him down. Open his suit!'' Ordered the doctor. Cisco complied right away, feeling sick in his stomach at the sight of his best friend barely breathing now, consciousness leaving him. He couldn't lose him, not now, not after all the bad things he said to him.

More than happy to hand over the doctoring to his friend, Cisco moved out of the way and let Caitlin dropped next to her friend, instantly taking everything in. It wasn't hard to put together the events that just happened with Barry's struggle to breath and the small bleeding puncture wound left of his heart.

Quickly grabbing her stethoscope out as fast as Barry could've done it, she pressed it against the speedster's chest.

''Dammit!'' She swore. ''His lung is collapsing!''

Urgently, she reached and grabbed a needle in her bag before pushing it mercilessly in Barry's chest. As soon as it made contact, the hero's eyes opened as wide as they ever did, his lips parting, his mouth gasping, desperate to capture some of the precious oxygen while his hand started raising unconsciously, searching for any sort of comfort. In an instant, Joe grabbed that hand in his own, his eyes going from his foster son to Caitlin and back to Barry.

''Barry? Are you with us? Can you hear me?'' Asked Caitlin as she closed on her friend.

The only answer she got was tired, foggy eyes slowly blinking at her before the whole body went limp again.

''Caitlin?'' Worriedly asked Joe to the doctor as she put her hear right over Barry's face, listening to his breathing sound.

''We need to get him at S.T.A.R. Labs to stabilize him, but he's fine for now.'' She turned around to look at Cisco who had been standing right behind for the whole scene, unable to do anything except feel his racing heart in his chest and hope his friend's heart was going to keep on beating. ''Cisco, go get me the stretcher in the van. Now.''

The young engineer turned his heels when another voice speaking almost made him jump out of his skin; he hadn't realized that someone else entered the room while Caitlin was making sure Barry kept on breathing.

''Humm...dad?''

Wally was just standing there, barely a couple of feet away from there, pointing at the unmoving form of the Rival on the floor, exactly where they left him moments earlier. With everything happening, they all forgot about him and surely couldn't leave him there. The Rival was eventually going to wake up and run off.

Joe turned around, sending a silent interrogation look at Caitlin who understood right away.

''Go, we have him.'' As to confirm, she turned and nodded to Cisco who took off running for the van.

When the engineer returned, the detective had already fired the Boot on the black speedster and was putting the handcuffs. Not wasting time to give a second glance, Cisco put down his equipment next to his friend, waiting for Caitlin's instructions.

Together, they picked the speedster up and on the stretcher, not even noticing the way Wally was staring at something on the ground, kneeling to pick it up. It was the speedster's comms, the yellow lightnings with the sharp part covered in blood.

''Hang in there.'' Whispered Cisco to his best friend, tearing up as he ended his second sentence. ''Already lost my brother, I can't lose you too.''

 *****FLASHFLASHFLASH*****

Cisco started coming around to a foggy mind, unsure where he was, why there was the constant beeping sound filling the room or even what woke him up. Slowly opening his eyes, blinking against the light, he rose his head to take in his surroundings. Oh, that's right, now he remembered: he was in the medical bay, staying by his friend's bedside. After Caitlin assured the team that Barry was going to be fine and left to rest downstairs, he offered to the rest of the gang to stay a bit longer to make sure Barry wasn't alone. Caitlin was right, despite everything, despite the mistakes the speedster did, he still was Barry, he still was their friend.

Movements from under the sheet almost made him jump out of his skin for the second time in less than a day. Quickly raising his head and turning it around, he ended up looking straight into his best friend's green eyes, looking right at him.

''Hey.'' He tried, dragging his chair on the floor to get closer to his friend's head.

''Hey.'' The answer was weak, Barry's head moving at an agonizing pace to keep on his friend's every move, only stopping for a second to close his eyes tightly, his whole face tensing up.

''Man, are you ok? Need me to go get Caitlin?''

''No...'' His voice was barely above a whisper. ''My chest hurts…my shoulder…'' His right hand moved toward his upper chest, opening and closing slightly like he was trying to catch the pain and throw it away. ''Happened?'' He added, keeping his sentence as short as possible.

''Clariss stabbed you with your comms system, punctured your lung. We almost lost you. ''

''Oh.'' His hand found the bandage.

''Oh? That's all you have to say for yourself?'' Cisco elevated his tone without meaning to. ''What were you thinking? Going alone against that guy, you could've died, you almost did! The only reason you're still breathing is because we all were in the cortex in time to see you were in trouble and you were fighting close enough for us to all come to your rescue before it was too late!''

It was just as Vibe finished his speech that he realized he was actually up on his feet now without memories of getting up.

The speedster lowered his head, getting away from the eye contact, but looked at his friend again at the last part.

''You…all came? Thought…mad at me.''

''Of course I'm angry, we all were, but Barry! That doesn't mean we want you dead. You're still my friend, our friend! You were out cold for little over 12 hours, Caitlin had to put a tube to help drain the air building in your chest 'til your healing powers could take over. She just got it out moments ago.''

12 hours? Tube? That sounded bad. To be fair, part of all that sleeping was surely related to the exhaustion of running back and forth between timelines, it's been stressful days, but it was more than enough to get everyone worried.

''Sorry…'' The speedster's head going down in shame. Cisco was right, what was he thinking? He should've given his friends more faith, they deserved it. After all they've been through together, of course his friends and family still cared. Of course it would affect them if he was to get hurt or worse.

A hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts.

''Just, don't do it again, alright?''

'' 'course…Thanks.''

A smile from his best friend was all he got, but it was also all he needed to know that everything was going to be fine. Superspeed wasn't going to fix the broken relationships, but time and patience were, he needed to have faith in that, and he did.

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 **Comments are always deeply appreciated!  
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 **In other note: Wound of the Soul next chapter is coming either wednesday or friday, stay tuned!**


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